Bombers rookie Allen amped for game play

Saturday’s pre-season contest against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Princess Auto Stadium (3 p.m.) means nothing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ organization in its quest for a Grey Cup.

It means everything to those suiting up, though.

Count rookie safety Cam Allen in that group of players itching to get on the field.

His last game action came on Nov. 25, 2023 — nearly 18 months ago — against arch-rival Indiana while he was still attending Purdue University.

It will be Allen’s pro debut, and with many of Winnipeg’s starters not expected to play the entire contest, he should get plenty of run.

“I can’t wait. I can’t wait to put on,” said Allen, 25. “I got a little visualization in my head of how it’s going to go down and stuff like that. Just read my keys, do my job and everything gonna play out good.”

The Bluefield, Va., product didn’t belong to a team for a year before arriving in Winnipeg. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League last spring, but was cut following rookie camp. He stayed on campus after graduating, working out at the facility and staying ready for whenever the next opportunity would come.

“I think about it every day. Every day, since I got cut from Denver, I wake up and just think about football and how much that hurt me. I know there’s guys at home that are sitting on the couch that’s not getting the opportunity and will probably not get another opportunity again, so just being grateful, thanking God every single day, thanking him in advance for every opportunity that is to come,” Allen said.

“Ever since I got cut, my perspective has changed, truly, a great amount on how every time you touch this grass, you want to go out here and play like it’s your last play. When we get to a pre-season game, it’s going to be up.”

His time away from the field didn’t hinder his confidence.

The 6-1, 194-pound defensive back is a long and rangy free safety who prides himself on always being around the ball. Those ball instincts have been on display throughout camp, as he’s worked primarily with the second team defence and stood out on multiple occasions.

Head coach Mike O’Shea liked what he saw during rookie camp, and Allen has continued to impress.

“He’s picking up our game. I’ve had a couple of conversations with him, and you realize he’s very, very intelligent and sees the game well. And at the safety position, he’s played that position for a while, he communicates well, which I know is a necessity in this defence, and at that position, probably in any defence,” O’Shea said.

“It’s pleasing so far, we’ll see what he does not only on defence but special teams in the games.”

Allen is one of many players looking to shape or rewrite their story on Saturday and into next week’s pre-season rematch with the Roughriders in Regina.

The Bombers are expected to run out most of their starters on Saturday — with the exception of receivers Nic Demski and Dalton Schoen, and right tackle Eric Lofton — but for how long is anyone’s guess.

O’Shea recognizes the potential injury risk that’s attached with rolling out some of the most important players, namely quarterback Zach Collaros, in a game that is inconsequential to the team’s overall record, but this is what he feels is best to get his club ramped up for the regular season, which begins after a Week 1 bye.

“We want everybody to play,” said O’Shea. “If they’re healthy, they’re dressed and we want to get everybody into play. We’ve had a good stretch of camp, and now you’ve got two games rolled fairly tightly — you really only get one or two more practices that are good.

“And then with the bye week, just the way it’s all been laid out schedule-wise, you want to get everybody playing.”

A strong performance is particularly important to Collaros this year, given he’ll serve a one-game suspension to open the year. That means his first meaningful snaps won’t come until the Bombers travel to B.C. on June 21.

Collaros didn’t put a number on how many series he’ll play, but there will be plenty to take from whatever time he spends on the field.

“Just preparing. Finding your routine and getting back at that, leading up to the game, as well as in-game. It’s hard to simulate the game speed,” he said.

“For me, it’s just about getting us lined up properly, executing the play call and making sure everything’s efficient. You can’t always look at the result of a play, it’s the entire piece of it, so I think those are important things that I’ll focus on tomorrow. And as the game goes on, whatever Osh and (offensive co-ordinator Jason) Hogan decide, we’ll roll with that.”

Hogan’s offence is different than what the Bombers have run in previous years under Buck Pierce. Not as much in the actual plays — Collaros noted that many teams across the league run the same concepts — but in the verbiage and the way they’re coached.

He explained that Hogan’s offence has rules within each play that will decide where players go. While that may sound confusing, Collaros said the rules are clear enough that it’s allowed everyone to play fast.

“I’m excited for tomorrow to see if that translates, I think it will for those younger guys,” he said.

Saturday serves as a key opportunity for those battling for roster spots to begin to separate themselves from the pack, and for those in position battles to make their case for a starting role.

Among the most intriguing battles are at left guard, as Gabe Wallace and Tui Eli vie for the starting job, and receiver, where everyone but Demski and Schoen are out to prove they belong.

“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that deserve to be out there, which I think in past years you have your clear and concise, ‘These are the four or five guys that we’re rolling with,’” said Collaros. “There’s about eight or nine that it’s going to be difficult to make some decisions.”

As for Wallace and Eli, they’re just excited to hit someone.

“We’ve been itching for it,” Eli said. “Any day that you can wake up and play the game of football is a great day. We’re very blessed to have two legs, two arms, these bodies that God has given us.

“We’re so blessed to have these and you never know when your last day might be. So, whether it’s tomorrow’s practice, pre-season game, whatever it is, we’re just happy to be out here and ready to go.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca